Industrial Manipulators

At Unidex, we offer several types of industrial manipulators to meet any need. Our products feature stainless steel, welded construction, durable powder coatings, and ergonomic controls. Models can be modified or custom-designed to meet your needs. Products include:

• End Effectors and Tooling: For tasks such as rotating, lifting, pouring, and upending materials like boxes, drums, pails, bags, and sheets.
• UM Series Under-Hung/Overhead Manipulator: Mounted on an overhead traveling system.
• ECL Series Electric Column Lift: Electric column motion with a three-speed vertical height adjustment.
• Electric-Hydraulic Manipulators: A medium-duty lifter and manipulator with 500 lb. payload capacity.
• Jib Lift: Payload up to 300 lbs. and 96 in. reach.
• Big Easy Jib Lift: Payload up to 500 lbs. and up to 10 ft. reach.
• Air and Oil Hydraulic Lifts: Quiet and compact for material handling powered by shop air and self-contained oil.

Industrial manipulators are equipped with a motorized lifting column and a rigid articulating arm to grab and move objects. They are either secured to the floor or overhead for safe material handling, even when the object being moved is outside the manipulator’s center of mass.

Manual, electric, hydraulic, or pneumatic manipulator arms raise, lower, and rotate objects. Human operators can control the arm’s movement with great precision. Each model has a different range of payload and reach capacities.

Arms can be fitted with several types of end effectors and tools including, but not limited to, grippers, hooks, calipers, and pneumatic vacuum cups. Important factors in selecting an end effector are payload, shape, size, and the type of motion the application calls for, such as lifting, turning, pouring, upending, or a combination.

An industrial manipulator is often used when:

• Products are too heavy or awkward for manual lifting
• Workers must move items to and from hard-to-reach spaces
• Lifting and transporting objects presents a safety risk to workers
• The duration of the job risks worker fatigue
• Manual, high-volume operations are inefficient

Industrial manipulators offer numerous advantages for many applications, such as:

• Improved accuracy and precision: Operators move and position large or heavy objects within a precise range of motion over and over, reducing downtime.
• Optimized productivity and efficiency: Industrial manipulators can be operated continuously, which boosts productivity and shortens cycle time.
• Better safety: Heavy, large, and hard-to-reach objects are challenging to move and position safely, especially in repetitive processes. A manipulator can handle these tasks, keeping workers out of harm’s way.
• Flexibility: Arms are available in a range of payload and reach capacities, and end effectors can be swapped out for different or new applications. Some arms can be paired with sensors and programmed for object location capabilities.
• Reduced operational costs: Integrating an electric, hydraulic, or pneumatic lifting device can reduce the amount of time and labor required for certain tasks. As a result, productivity increases and workers can be diverted to more critical tasks.

Electric, hydraulic, and pneumatic manipulators augment or optimize the workflow in many industrial settings, including:

• Textile mills
• Food and beverage production
• Building and construction sites
• Foundry
• Lumber and woodworking
• Automotive and aircraft assembly
• Electromechanics and appliance manufacturing
• Packaging systems
• Chemical manufacturing
• Military applications

At Unidex, we are committed to supplying our customers with equipment to create safer and more comfortable workspaces. This reduces the risk of injury and helps employees stay engaged and productive.

Our comprehensive product line includes mobile and stationary lifting manipulators and end effectors, lift tables and platforms, adjustable workstations and welding stations, manual and powered lift carts and trucks, and specialized hand trucks. We also have the knowledge and experience to modify or customize material handling equipment to meet your requirements.

Contact us today to discuss your application and learn how we can help.